REFUGEE

COLOMBO, Dec. 1 -- Incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse received a boost here Tuesday in his re-election bid as an Indian Tamil party pledged support to him in the January 2010 presidential poll.

"We will be supporting the President (Rajapakse)", Muthu Sivalingam the deputy leader of Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) told reporters.

CWC is a trade union political party representing the plantation workers in the central hill districts of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya.

Sivalingam said the estate Tamil community has gained under Rajapakse presidency with many development work to uplift the living standards among the community.

CWC is a government ally having joined it in 2007 after spending time since 2004 with the main opposition United National Party (UNP).

In the 2005 presidential election the CWC supported the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe against Rajapakse.

Rajapakse the incumbent will be pitted against the former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka who is being backed by a 14 party opposition front.